The use of umbrellas date back thousands of years to the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese. One of their main functions was, of course, to keep the user free from the ravages of rain, i.e. to keep the user from getting wet. However, while umbrellas are good for keeping a user's head from getting wet, the rest of the user's body is subject to not just the rain but the wind that usually accompanies that rain. A raincoat would alleviate the wetness and cold that such a user would experience.
A user wearing a raincoat or a rain poncho and using an umbrella would, therefore, be properly protected from the elements. The umbrella would ensure that most of the rain would be kept away from the user's head and face and the raincoat would ensure that the rest of the user's body (or at least the user's upper body) would be protected from both the rain and the wind.
While the above concept would clearly keep a user relatively free from the ravages of a rainstorm, it does present an inescapable inconvenience—the user would need to carry two items: an umbrella and a raincoat. Unfortunately, there are currently no systems that currently allow a user to conveniently carry both without some inconvenience. One current method involves a hollowed out handle for the umbrella with the raincoat being carried in the handle's hollow. Unfortunately, this requires that the handle be larger than normal. Users with small hands (such as children or people of a small stature) would not be able to conveniently grip the umbrella with one hand, given the girth of the handle. In slightly stronger winds, a child user or a small person user could easily have the umbrella ripped from their grasp.
Other means of carrying a raincoat may involve placing the raincoat in a pouch and hanging the pouch off of the umbrella's handle. Unfortunately, the hanging pouch may become a nuisance to a user, causing the user to forgo being equipped with the raincoat. Similarly, a free hanging raincoat pouch may get snagged or entangled while the user is out walking. Such unfortunate occurrences may lead to distractions and inconveniences to the user.
From the above, there is therefore a need for systems, methods, or devices which mitigate if not overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. A novel means of carrying at least one other item of rain equipment in conjunction with an umbrella and which does not involve a free hanging raincoat pouch would be useful.